Question about Seeding please help nitrites spike

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

Guys I need some help.. I am confused on how I can use from an established tank the filter media to help cycle my new tank.. I am using a canister filter and the filter media that's already established is in my other tank.. I wanted to see whats the best way to use that biological bacteria in my new tank to cycle? Do I squeeze the filter media on the ceramic rings in the canister? or do I just take the extra HOB filter I have running on the tank and bring it on the new tank and let it filter there? I'm really confused on how I could do it.. I also am using sand african cichlid substrate and the other tank I have has gravel..

thanks

 

[adeebm]

You can move the extra HOB filter over, or you can take some of the existing media and place it in the canister along with the new ceramic media. Either way will work.

--Adeeb

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

thanks, should I squeeze the brown bacteria from the media in the canister? or float the media in the fish tank and let it be in the water?

 

[adeebm]

Take some of your existing ceramic rings or sponge media and put it in the canister. Leave it there until your tank is fully cycled. I doubt squeezing would be too effective.

--Adeeb

 

[Nubster]

Bacteria is pretty firmly attached to the media. Squeezing will introduce very little. Adding the media to the new filter would be best as it will allow direct transfer from the old to the new.

 

[AddictedtoFishNoW]

thanks, what I did was I took the filter thats been established, replaced it with a new pad and cut the filter foam in 2 halfs so I could fit it in the fluval 405 canister inside the chamber because that was the only way I could get it in the filter so its on top of the biomax rings.. I hope it works, how long do you think it would take? I did a wc 25 and the nitrite readings r still around 1ppm. Should I just get my extra HOB filter and just have it also run to help the canister filter more bacteria in? also I am using Prime + Nutrafin with powerhead and spray bar as well as air wand inside the tank, and put the heat up around 79 to speed it up.. can u use Prime and Nutrafin simultaneously?